The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change A Guide to the Debate

This third edition has been comprehensively updated to reflect the large changes in scientific knowledge and policy debates on climate change since the previous edition in 2009. It provides a concise but thorough overview of the science, technology, economics, policy, and politics of climate change in a single volume. It explains how scientific and policy debates work, outlines the scientific evidence for the reality and seriousness of climate change and the basic atmospheric science that supports it, and discusses policy options and the current state of the policy debate. By pulling these elements together, the book explains why the issue can be so confusing and provides guidance on practical routes forward. Anyone interested in climate change, the global environment, or how science is used in policy debates should read this book. It is the ideal textbook for undergraduate or graduate courses in environmental policy and climate change.

1. Global climate change: a new type of environmental problem; 2. Science, politics, and science in politics. 3. Human-induced climate change: present scientific knowledge and uncertainties; 4. Climate change policy: impacts, assessments, and responses; 5. Climate policy and politics in 2019, and a path forward.

Andrew E. Dessler is a Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences and holder of the Reta A. Haynes Chair in Geosciences at Texas A & M University. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University in 1994 and performed postdoctoral work at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (1994–96). In 2000, he worked as a Senior Policy Analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he collaborated with Edward A. Parson. Dessler's academic publications include two other books, including the award-winning textbook Introduction to Modern Climate Change (Cambridge, 2nd edition, 2015). He has also published extensively in the scientific literature on stratospheric ozone depletion and the physics of climate.
Edward A. Parson is Dan and Rae Emmett Professor of Environmental Law at the University of California, Los Angeles. He studies international environmental law and policy and the role of science and technology in policy-making. Previously a professor at Harvard University and the University of Michigan, Parson has also worked and consulted for senior policy-making and science-advisory bodies in the United States, Canada, and internationally. He holds degrees in physics from the University of Toronto and in management science from the University of British Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University.